Hello, I had a contractor quote me $1800 to do tuck pointing on the chimney. 

The contractors I've hired have not been reliable.

Contractors and sub contractors are some of the hardest pieces to find.

The 30k in repairs might be 50k or 100k in repairs from a licensed contractor.

Also, same rule with civil contractors.

Told to have contractors sign the customers contract .

Does anyone have any connections in the Cleveland Ohio (specifically around the Cleveland Clinic) area with regards to realtors, contractors and management companies? 

As an aside, a contractor told me that a property can pass an inspection but once someone is living there and putting daily stress on the house, things can start to malfunction.

Outside of real estate, I enjoy listening to and making music, going to the movies, traveling, and cruises. 

If you were to read through the Chapter 3 Building Planning in IRC you would get a pretty good idea of many of the basic requirements.The best way to learn this quickly would be to take a general contractor test prep course.